Tactile +feedback

There are two methods where vibration or audio of the device is used as +an output method (when mobile device users interact with the device touch +screen):

As a tacticon to inform users through physical feedback, that +an important event is occurring in the device. For example, when a new message +arrives or a warning note is displayed.
As tactile feedback to indicate to the user that an interaction +event has been successful. For example, users receive tactile feedback when +they press a button on the touch screen.

As with sounds, tactile feedback must be used carefully so as not to desensitize +the user to the vibration; the attention grabbing quality remains and functions +so long as the feedback is not too frequent.

Tactile feedback is enabled for all the Symbian platform UI components. +Tactile feedback can be disabled for the common UI components in an application. +However, this is acceptable only if tactile feedback causes interference with +other device functions.

The user can choose the level of tactile feedback and turn tacticons ON +and OFF.

The following table lists the tactile feedback effects:

Tactile feedback +effects + + + +
Effects
+
Description
+ + + + +
Sensitive button
+
It provides single pulse effect on repeated key presses with buttons. +It is also possible with other similar components.
+ + +
Basic button
+
It provides stronger single pulse effect to buttons. It is also +possible with other similar components.
+ + +
Sensitive list
+
It provides single pulse effect to lists and grids. Effect is used +with move (drag and flick) when new item appears on the screen.
+ + +
Basic list
+
It provides stronger single pulse effect to lists and grids. Effect +is used with touch down and release when tap makes an action.
In hierarchical +list, collapsing/expanding item provides basic list effect with touch down +and release.
+ + +
Bounce effect
+
It provides pulse effect when list returns to its normal state after +boundary effect.
+ + +
Sensitive slider
+
It provides pulse effect with scrollbar and slider thumbs. Effect +is provided with touch down and release in thumb area.
+ + +
Smooth slider
+
It provides continuous smooth feedback when dragging scrollbar or +slider thumb. This can also be increasing or decreasing depending of the slider +type.
+ + +
Hold slider
+
It provides sensitive pulse effect when touch down and hold on the +slider or scrollbar area. Slider thumb starts moving step by step towards +the touch point. Every step gives one sensitive pulse. If slider thumb moves +directly to the touch point, then basic slider effect is provided.
+ + +
Pop-up
+
It provides sensitive pulse effect when pop-up is opened or closed. +If the theme animations are ON, then pop-up effect is used with opening event +after increasing long touch effect. In this scenario, there is no pop-up effect +while closing. All pop-ups does not have theme animation.
+ + +
Pop-up close
+
It provides decreasing smooth feedback while closing pop-up and +when theme animations are ON.
+ + +
Increasing long touch
+
It provides increasing smooth feedback. This can be used with either +long tap animation or pop-up opening theme effects. If the theme effects are +ON and long tap opens a pop-up, then feedback is provided only with long tap. +This is followed by pop-up.
+ + +
Basic tab
+
It provides strong pulse effect with touch down event in tab area.
+ + +
Smooth flick
+
It provides smooth feedback with drag when horizontal movement is +possible.
+ + +
Sensitive flick
+
It provides sensitive pulse effect with touch release when horizontal +movement is possible.
+ + +
Sensitive edit
+
It provides sensitive pulse effect in editors with touch down and +release.
+ + +
Text edit
+
It provides pulse effect when painting the text. Effect is provided +with every character while painting the text.
+ + +
Blank edit
+
It provides pulse effect when painting blank character. By default, +it is none.
+ + +
Line edit
+
It provides pulse effect when painting a line.
+ + +
Empty line
+
It provides pulse effect when painting an empty line. By default, +it is none.
+ + +
Check box
+
It provides pulse effect when marking/unmarking a check box.
+ + +
Multi-touch recognition
+
It provides double pulse (sensitive + sensitive) effect when multi-touch +is recognized (generally, when second finger is touched down).
+ + +
Smooth pinch
+
It provides smooth continuous feedback while moving fingers in multi-touch +pinch situation.
+ + +
Smooth rotate
+
It provides smooth continuous feedback while moving fingers in +multi-touch rotate situation.
+ + + +

Characteristics +of haptics related APIs

You can use the following APIs to create +haptic effects:

Tactile Feedback +Client API
- It is available from S60 5th Edition onwards
- It can be used on all S60 5th Edition or later mobile devices. However, +the feedback is played only on touch enabled layouts.
- It provides simple functions for triggering various predefined tactile +feedback (vibration or audio) effects.
- It enables a consistent user experience in all applications of the +mobile device (an application gives a logical feedback type as an input and +the actual physical effect depends on the mobile device configuration and +end user settings).
- When the area feedback is used, latency is low for the feedback triggering +(a tactile feedback can already be triggered at the window server level prior +to the corresponding pointer event being delivered to the visible application).
- Direct feedback can be easily integrated into CCoeControl::HandlePointerEventL() .
- An application can select the logical tactile feedback from certain +types. The produced effect may be different on various mobile devices.
Haptics +API
- It is available from S60 5.2 Edition onwards.
- It can be used in touch and hybrid mobile devices.
- It provides an interface for accessing Haptics player that can control +different actuator types.
- It enables producing of complex vibrator effects, such as an explosion +or machine gun effect in a game, bass boost for a music player, advanced ringing +tone vibration, and so on.
- It enables simultaneous playing of different kinds of basis effects +and modifying them when played.
- It allows for designing complex effects (using a separate PC application) +that can be loaded on Haptics player for playing.
- It may require a special license key for third-party applications +(to be set at runtime) to enable the Haptics player functionality.
Vibra API
- It available from S60 3.0 onwards
- It can be used for running device vibrator with given intensity for +a given period of time
- It can be used by a privileged client application to play pulse effects, +which have a very short duration (as the ones used for tactile feedback)

When to use +Tactile Feedback Client API, Haptics API, and Vibra API

You must +use

Tactile Feedback Client API for providing tactile feedback in custom +controls (grids, lists, and so on) which will comply with the style of Core +UI components to ensure a uniform user experience among applications
Haptics API on touch and hybrid mobile devices for producing complex +vibration feedback which cannot be achieved with Tactile Framework (games, +simulations, demos, and so on.)
Vibra API for producing haptic effects such as ringing tone vibration +in those mobile devices where Haptics API is not available or functional

Using +tactile feedback in C++ applications

The API to use for tactile +feedback is the Tactile +feedback client API.

The Symbian platform includes a tactile +feedback interface to add, modify and remove feedback areas in the registry. +There is also an option to trigger direct feedback and bypass the registry. + MTouchFeedback::Instance() is used for acquiring a pointer +to a touch feedback instance. When touch feedback is activated, the mobile +device users get a slight vibration when the control with the feedback interface +is touched.

Tactile feedback can be set and disabled in a client +application or a mobile device in some scenarios, for example, during phone +calls.

Client applications cannot determine the actual physical +feedback that is generated. It depends on device configuration and current +settings. In current devices, the user changeable settings include vibration +and audio feedback intensity level.

In your application, you can use +the following feedback types, defined in TTouchLogicalFeedback:

+ + + +

ETouchFeedbackNone

It is used for disabling feedback in some areas of the application +window while using the area registry.

+ + +

ETouchFeedbackBasic

It is used as a default feedback for stylus touch down events. For +example, when the mobile device user taps a button or tab.

+ + +

ETouchFeedbackSensitive

It provides sensitive feedback in situations when:

the triggering action is not very important (for example, change of +focus in a list)
there can be a large number of feedback instances within a short time +(for example, text selection which gives feedback on every new selected character).

It is also used for scrolling and dragging.

+ + + +

To use vibration or audio feedback in your application:

Include touchfeedback.lib in +your .mmp file.
Include touchfeedback.h.
To enable +tactile feedback for your application, add the following code.
MTouchFeedback* feedback = MTouchFeedback::Instance(); +feedback->SetFeedbackEnabledForThisApp(ETrue); // enabling feedback is optional
Do +not delete the pointer in the controller destructor.
To use tactile +feedback when a mobile device user points at a control, add the following +code.
void CMyContainerControl::HandlePointerEventL(const TPointerEvent& aPointerEvent) + { + // Feedback is always played at pointer down event + if(aPointerEvent.iType == TPointerEvent::EButton1Down) + { + MTouchFeedback* feedback = MTouchFeedback::Instance(); + if (feedback) + { + feedback->InstantFeedback(ETouchFeedbackBasic); + } + } + + // Your other pointer event handling code here +
To enable +automatic feedback triggering in a specific area of a UI component, add
feedback->SetFeedbackArea( this, + 1, // area Id + TRect( 0,0,20,20 ), + ETouchFeedbackBasic, + ETouchEventStylusDown ); +

To use tactile feedback in an application, additional platform +security capabilities are not required.